A pair of large spinach-green jade vases and covers, Qing dynasty, 18th - 19th century | 清十八至十九世紀 碧玉活環獸耳蓋瓶一對

A Romance with Jade: From the De An Tang Collection, Yongshougong, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 52.

《玉緣：德安堂藏玉》，永壽宮，故宮博物院，北京，2004年，編號52

The present pair of vases are impressive for their large size and the translucent and luminous tone of the remarkable spinach-green jade stone, which is further enhanced by the undecorated surface. The form of the present pair of vases is inspired by the archaic bronze wine vessel known as fanghu, representing a direct continuation of the taste for archaistic forms and designs strongly advocated by the Qianlong Emperor, who instructed the court to collect drawings of antiquities, such as the Xiqing Gujian [Catalogue of Xiqing antiquities], and to use as resources of designs for the Palace Workshops.

For a related large spinach-green jade gu-shaped vase, Mid-Qing dynasty, with a very similarly carved pair of mythical-beast handles, illustrated in Yang Boda, Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], Hebei, 2005, nos 149 and 150. See also two other related large spinach-green jade vases, Qianlong period, similar in size and also imitating archaic bronzes hu vessel in form, illustrated in ibid., nos 186 and 188.

碧玉，深綠色，玉質瑩潤，有黑色斑點。截面呈八方形，腹近似梯形，瓶身光素，頸較細，兩側各有一獸耳，耳下套一活環，蓋、蓋鈕以及圈足亦作八方形，打磨細膩，造型端莊，且尺寸碩大，工藝俱佳。

清乾隆至嘉慶初期，為宮廷玉器生產之高峰，此期間宮廷藏玉品種俱全、用料講究、工藝精湛，為後朝所不能及。此對扁瓶雖外表光素，然器型仍有古彝器方壺之遺風，其形製沿襲乾隆皇帝慕古敏求之風，形制或參照《西清古鑑》仿製青銅壺而來，其雕工亦與前朝相比不分伯仲，可判斷為十八至十九世紀宮廷玉雕作品。尺寸較大之碧玉雕仿古彝器，見北京故宮博物院藏兩例，包括一件清乾隆和田碧玉雕獸面紋獸耳活環壺，以及一件清乾隆和田碧玉雕雷紋獸耳活環壺，分別著錄於楊柏達，《中國玉器全集》，河北，2005年，編號186及188。參看北京故宮博物院藏一件清中期和田碧玉海棠式觚，器兩側之獸耳及獸首後的卷雲與本瓶類似，同上註，編號149及150。